Educating the Next Generation

Campaign priority

Educating the Next Generation

Understood to be the most contemporary of the Founding Fathers, Jefferson possessed that rare ability to see beyond the “now.” His vision for America—free and equal, self-governed, and empowered by an educated citizenry—continues to shape our national discourse.

Jefferson will always have much to teach us.

At Monticello, we connect the next generation of American leaders with Jefferson’s revolutionary ideas. The Foundation has developed a comprehensive offering of educational initiatives, drawing on modern technology and the skills of our talented staff.

For the 65,000 students who visit annually, the mountaintop is a special kind of classroom—part exhibit, part seminar, part research laboratory. Exploring Jefferson’s home at a young age sparks lasting curiosity about the American experiment.

Our reach extends to those students who are unable to experience Jefferson’s world on-site. Monticello’s professional development programs, targeting top social studies teachers, have created a ripple effect throughout the nation’s schools. Dynamic digital platforms—like the Sea of Liberty website—invite off-site exploration of Jefferson and America’s founding history. Our work to educate the next generation is a modern incarnation of Jefferson’s civic vision.

The Foundation’s critical challenge is to protect Monticello’s educational initiatives in perpetuity, broadening future access for students and teachers.

“…if the condition of man is to be progressively ameliorated, as we fondly hope and believe, [education] is to be the chief instrument in effecting it.”
—Thomas Jefferson, 1818

Funding Opportunities

$25,000—$100,000
Endow a fund to bring students to Monticello on school field trips $1,500,000
Name and endow a fund for Digital Learning $2,000,000
Name and endow the Monticello Teacher Institute $5,000,000
Name and endow Monticello’s Department of Education & Visitor Programs